Two-month-old Sam Esquibel had surgery to remove a foot and other body parts from his head shortly after his birth. Photo: AP Photo: AP Photo/Christian Murdock

Friday, December 19, 2008 2:08 AMA boy has had a tiny foot and other partially formed body parts removed from inside his brain.

Pediatric neurosurgeon Paul Grabb says he operated on Sam Esquibel at Memorial Hospital for Children, Colorado Springs, after an MRI showed a microscopic tumor on the newborn's brain. Sam was 3 days old and otherwise healthy.

Dr Grabb says that while removing the growth, he discovered it contained a nearly perfect foot and the formation of another foot, a hand and a thigh.

"It looked like the breech delivery of a baby, coming out of the brain," Dr Grabb said. "To find a perfectly formed structure (like this) is extremely unique, unusual, borderline unheard of."

Dr Grabb isn't sure what caused the growth but says it may have been a type of congenital brain tumor. However, such tumors usually are less complex than a foot or hand, he said.

The growth may also have been a case of "fetus in fetu" - in which a fetal twin begins to form within another - but such cases very rarely occur in the brain, Dr Grabb said.

Sam's parents, Tiffnie and Manuel Esquibel, say their son is at home now but faces monthly blood tests to check for signs of cancer or regrowth, along with physical therapy to improve the use of his neck. But they say he has mostly recovered from the Oct. 3 surgery.

even thou they operated that child still they suppose to investigate more about that to make that thing more clear. eg. how could happen such think like dat?. to some extent it is very impossible to believe it, on other hand,well done for good job job which they did. dat's all.